Yes, You Need a First Aid Kit in the RV

It does not matter if you are a weekend tailgater or a full-time RVer, you need a first aid kit in the RV!

You probably have a first aid kit at your bricks and sticks home, so why not your home away from home?

One of the benefits of tailgating is that typically emergency personnel aren’t too far away. Most tailgates are on a college campus or near stadiums, with lots of first responders. But don’t rely on these awesome people, because traffic and crowds can slow their response time down.

And many of your first aid needs won’t require emergency personnel. Instead, you can fix scrapes and other minor items on your own and keep the tailgate going. But remember, safety first! Don’t hesitate to send someone to urgent care or the hospital if the situation warrants. You can clean up wounds but if the bleeding doesn’t stop, seek professional help.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for various first aid products below. You get the same low prices and we earn a small commission to help us buy more RV tailgating gadgets. Or game tickets if you go on a shopping spree. Please go on a shopping spree!

At a minimum, your RV first aid kit should contain the following items:

First Aid Instruction Booklet

Bandaids: variety of sizes, purposes

Moleskin for blisters

Wound closure strips

Tweezers

Scissors

Safety pins

Sterile gloves

Antiseptic towelettes

Alcohol Prep Pads

Sterile Gauze (roll and pads)

Adhesive Bandages

Dressing

Medical tape

Sting relief pads

Antibiotic ointment

Burn cream

Aloe Vera gel

Calamine lotion

Antacids

Pepto Bismol or other anti-diarrhea

Aspirin

Tylenol

Instant cold compress

Eye pads

Eye wash

Thermometer

Finally, it is good to specifically point out one last item: a small roll of duct tape. While you will not want to put this directly on the skin, duct tape can be awesome to help secure a leg splint or large towels needed to stop bleeding. Duct tape is also useful to help keep pressure on wounds.

Special Items for Your Family

You’ll also want to add things for your family’s and friends’ specific needs. You will also want to keep on hand any prescription medicines that you and your family take. And if anyone is highly allergic to any foods or bee stings, you’ll want to keep an Epi-pen on hand.

Remember also that children have very specific medicines that they can and cannot take. So keep child appropriate medicines available if you have children.

Preventative Items to Keep On Hand

In addition to the first aid kit, we recommend that you keep some preventative items on hand. Things like sunscreen and insect repellent should be readily available in the RV. Chapstick with SPF is also a great thing to keep on hand to prevent chapped lips.

Hand sanitizer and soap should be available at each sink. You want to make it easy for people to clean up, wash away bacteria, and keep nasty germs from spreading.

While not necessarily preventative, we also recommend keeping some cough drops on hand during the fall/winter months. Even if they are just for sore throats following a crazy football game, these sure come in handy.

Regularly Update Your Kit

It is important that you regularly check and update your first-aid kit.

First, many medicines and other supplies will eventually expire. You’ll need to replace these items. It is good to completely review your first aid kit every year to make sure that everything is up-to-date.

Second, as you use things like band-aids, you need to replace them. It is easy to forget about them during the football season. Or if someone uses the first aid kit and doesn’t let you know. So check to make sure that you have enough supplies for your entire first-aid kit.

Third, you need to update your kit as your needs change. The longer you tailgate, the more you will figure out exactly which items you need in your kit. Or as your kids get older, you’ll need different size bandages. As you add members to your tailgate, you may also want to keep more supplies on hand. More people = more first aid incidents. Review your kit regularly to make sure that you have what you need for your family.

Specialized Items for First Aid Kits in the RV

The Red Cross recommends that people keep blankets, radios, and flashlights in their first aid kits. Since we are RVers, we are going to assume that you have many of these items at the ready and with you.

However, you may want to invest in a space blanket or emergency blanket. For starters, these have special reflection and radiation qualities to help you retain body heat in an emergency. Since they fold up so small, they are also great to have in a small first aid kit that you can carry with you on hikes, when a larger blanket is not feasible.

A personal water filter is also great for those RVers that like to go out boondocking or hiking for long periods of time. These remove most bacteria and parasites, making water much safer to drink without using chemicals.

Speaking of water, one of the common ailments that will hit tailgaters is dehydration. Whether because you are out in the sun during a hot tailgate or you over imbibe with adult beverages, dehydration is an issue. Rehydration salts should be considered for your first aid kit in the RV. Mix these with water and drink to help with dehydration or even hangovers.

Don’t forget about your RV pets! Dogs and cats have first aid needs as well. It only takes on dog fight or snake bite to take your dog under. Make sure your first aid kit contains items specifically for your pets, including Vet wrap bandages that won’t stick to fur and tick removal tools.

A Larger Investment

A basic first-aid kit, and the supplemental items you may add, is a relatively small investment for most people. Kits start at about $15 and go up from there depending on size and contents.

If you are willing to put in additional investment into your first aid kit in the RV, we would recommend that you consider a defibrillator. When sudden cardiac arrest happens, the best chance of survival is when a defibrillator is used within five minutes. Remember, most cardiac arrests happen without any prior symptoms or warnings. And it can happen to anyone!

Now, if you can’t afford to invest $1,000 in your first aid kit, we still recommend that you get CPR training. The Red Cross offers CPR and other first aid training in over 550 locations across the United States. The classes in the Atlanta area are $90 or $110, so a very reasonable additional investment. And these skills could come in handy, from the tailgate to the mall to your workplace.

Keep First Aid Kit in the RV to keep the Tailgate Rolling

The Red Cross and others all recommend that you keep a first aid kit readily accessible in your home and each car. With your RV being both a home and a car, we hope you’ll also be keeping a first aid kit in the RV! Make sure to customize the kit to fit your needs!

Do you have any other suggestions for items to add to the first aid kit in the RV? Comment below!

Kimberly is the owner of a Tiffin 34PA and the former owner of Starter RV, a 1990 Winnebago Chieftan. She can be found cheering for Georgia Tech, traveling the world, or working on the RV (because there's always something to do on the RV). Don't ever underestimate what she can whip up in the kitchen or accomplish on no sleep. Find out the latest from Kimberly by signing up here.

Search RV Tailgate Life

Get Updates from RV Tailgate Life

RVTailgateLife.com

The RV Tailgate Life says the the best tailgate is an RV tailgate. Shared stories, tips, and ideas from an RV owner and super fan Kimberly. Follow her travels across the United States and sometimes even abroad!

Disclosures

RV Tailgate Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
For more information, check out the Legal Disclosures.